The Prince of Gondor
by Hollie Black
Summary: Book 2 of The Children of Gondor Trilogy-As the Prince of Gondor, Eldarion's youth was grand, until fate decided to twist things to its own purposes. Now he has one chance to set things right, to save those he loves from the threat in the South *chap7 up*
1. Eldarion and Melana

Hello!  It's, me, Hollie!  This is my second fic (yay!) and it is about Lian's (remember her? :) big bro Eldarion.  Hope you like!

Disclaimer: I'm not gonna go nuts with the disclaimers like I did in "Lian"... well, at least not at first *evil grin* For now, I'll just tell the truth... I don't own anyone.  Not even Lian, Fea and whoever else whose name you don't recognize.... they control me... not the other way around.

And all the stuff you do recognize... that stuff belongs to my dear old friend Mr. Tolkien!

On to the story!!!

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The Prince of Gondor

By Hollie

            The small, blonde haired girl giggled as she threaded her way swiftly through the crowds of people.  Most ignored the familiar child, although a few travelers new to the city shot her some dirty looks for getting in their way.  She noticed them not, however, and continued on with her business.  

            Getting away from all the people, she ran through an alley between two plain, modest-looking homes.  Suddenly quiet, she began to creep behind the house, and stepped between tall bushes planted in a small garden.  Chuckling quietly to herself, the child began to search for something.  Suddenly, from behind her, there was a small but shrill shriek.  She turned around quickly and found herself face to face with a young boy, only a year or two older than she, who's longish, disheveled brown hair flew about him as he jumped on her.

            The two wrestled for a few moments, and when they finally broke apart, they both bursting out in laughter.

            "I got you Mely!" the boy chuckled, "I said I would."

            "Well, there is a first time for everything!" she giggled.

He thought about that for a moment, then, "hey!"  They both laughed again, rolling around in the dirt.  Sitting up and wiping the dirt from her forehead, 'Mely's' face became suddenly solemn.  

            "What did he talk to you 'bout El?" she asked him.

            "Aw, nuttin' much.  He said that I'm goin' have a new sister soon."

            "You're lucky... My parents say they don't want no more kids, I'm enuff, they said."

            "Probably didn't want anymore after you... Were too afraid!"

            "Hey!" she smacked him playfully upside the head, "that wasn't very nice!"  He laughed, then continued.

            "And then, guess what he said to me!"

            "Um... I dunno, what?"

            "He said, 'Eldarion, son, one day you will be King of all Gondor,' isn't that great!"  

            She frowned, then said, "that's not fair!  I wanna be king!"

            "You can't silly!  Only boys can be kings!"

            "But it isn't fair!  What about the girls?!"

            "Girls are queens, didn't you know that?"

            "Oh.  Queens are good too.  Your mommy's the queen, and she's really nice.  I guess I could be the queen."

            "Okay, are you happy yet?  I'll be the king, and you can be the queen.  And everyone will have to do what we say!"  

            Mely's eyes widened in amazement.  "Really?  Everything we say!"

            "Uh huh.  Everything."

            "Oh!  I wanna be queen now!  When do we get to be in charge, El?"  Eldarion frowned and sat down on his feet.

            "We have to wait.  That's what father said.  'Not until you're older' he said."

            Mely sat back and supported what little weight she had with her elbows, "that's not good.  I want to be the queen now."  Sighing, both sat in silence for a few moments, which was, for them, very rare.  Suddenly, they heard the tromp of big, grownup feet, and as they turned, a stout, middle-aged woman came plodding through the dirt over to them.

            "Melana!" she cried, "Where on Middle-Earth have you been!  I've been searching for an hour now!  If it wasn't for one of those nice travelers, I probably never would have found you!  I can't believe that you ran off again, you naughty little child!  What have I told you, time and time again?"  She paused her rantings to take a breath, then spotted Eldarion.  "Oh, hello your highness, how do you do?"  Eldarion shrugged and said, 

            "Eh.  Fine, I guess."  The woman waited for a "How are you doing today?" from the little prince, but it never came.  Sighing, she continued, "Melana, you and I are going to have a word about this with your father." Then, scooping her up in her arms, the woman, now revealed as Melana's mother, carried poor Melana away, back to the roads of the Circle

            Eldarion waved goodbye from his spot in the sod, then stood up and exited through the "secret" gap in the bushes through which he had come.  Skipping happily through the busy streets, he could easily have been mistaken for any regular, farmer's son.  But he wasn't.  Oh no, Eldarion was special.  Not just because he was a Prince, but because he was the son of the King and Queen.

            The King and Queen of Gondor was a rare, special pair.  The king was Aragorn, son of Arathorn, the chief of the Dunaden (A/N:  I am sure that I spelt that wrong, but I don't have enough time to check.  sorries!) and last in the line on Numenor.  He was called Elessar, that is Elfstone, and more to the like of elves than of men was he.  His Queen, Arwen Undomiel, was an elf, and a high race of elves at that.  Her father was Elrond Halfelven, bearer of one of the three Rings, the history of which is not told here.

             Eldarion had (fortunately for him) inherited much from his parents.  He was being taught the ways of the elves by his mother, and his father promised to teach him survival and hunting skills, as soon as he was older.  In all appearances, he was a carbon copy of his father.  Shoulder length hair sometimes covered his clear, solemn grey eyes, and even though he was not yet, the people of Gondor could sense that he would be strong and a wise ruler.  

            At the moment though, the thought of ruling a country had left his mind, to be taken by much more interesting (to a seven year old boy) things.  He had spotted a loaf of sweet smelling bread in the bakery shop across the road from where he stood.  As unnoticeably as possibly, he snuck over to the shop, and hurriedly stuffed the bread into his shirt.  He was, unfortunately for him, not quick enough, and he soon found himself being grabbed by the scruff of the neck by the shop owner.

            "Stealing my bread again, your highness?" the shopkeeper asked in a gruff voice.  Eldarion tried to look as innocent and sweet as possible.

            "Don't you try that look of yours on me, young prince.  Im'a going to have to report you to your father.  Come along now."  Leaving his apprentice in charge for the moment, he took poor Eldarion by the hand and began to climb up the road to the Citadel.  Telling the guards what his purpose was, he and Eldarion were escorted to the throne room, where the King sat on his grand throne.

            "Begging your pardon, your majesty, but the prince," he gestured to Eldarion, "has been into my bread again."  Rubbing his fingers to his temples, the King replied, "I ask your forgiveness on behalf on my son.  If you will follow the guards, they will be sure that you receive payment for your goods.  Thank you for bringing this to my attention, again."  

            Bowing low to the ruler of Gondor, the baker followed the guards on a path he knew well by this point.

            "I daresay this won't be the last time I come here with that boy either," he muttered to one of the guards, whom he happened to know.

            "Yes, I doubt it as well.  A lot of mischief that boy causes," he replied.

            After they had left, Aragorn turned his attention to Eldarion.

            "This is the seventh time this month you've been caught sneaking something.  First it was meat, then bread, then the hunting supplies, and now we're back to bread.  What's wrong, Eldarion?  You could get all those things here, and we have plenty enough money for you to purchase those items legally.  Why must you break rules?"  Eldarion just shrugged.

            "I don't know father.  It's fun, I guess," he thought for a moment, "well, maybe not the getting caught part, but..."  Aragorn cut his son off, "Eldarion, breaking rules and boundaries should not be fun.  You know that," he smiled, and his face softened, "but maybe your ready for other types of fun.  Perhaps you and I could go hunting sometime?"  The grey eyes of the child suddenly lit up and he rushed over to hug his father, "really!?  You and me, hunting together like the big boys!"

            Aragorn smiled again, "yes, I think that you are ready.  Not today though, but perhaps sometime next week."

Eldarion was about to reply, when suddenly a young maid burst in through the large double doors.

            "Beg pardon, Lord, but it's time!  The child is about to be born!"

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so.... how is it???  please tell me, I'm dying!  I'll probably keep writing it, even if no one likes it very much because it is sooooooo much fun to write!!  I prefer writing the characters of children (at least in ME) cause the adults are so formal... it gets boring.  however, this is the story of Eldarion's life, so eventually, I'm gonna have to make him all formal *sniffle*  oh well.  That's cool too... I guess.

okay, gotta go, homework's calling (and algebra is EVIL!!!!  STAY AWAY!!!!!)

Always

~Hollie


	2. Surprising News

Hiya, it's me.  okay, gonna try to make this short....

Lani --  glad u like it!  thats very good.  and I know that my grammar is terrible.. always has been. (algebra... why did i agree to take it again?  I forget.... !!!) MoonBolt --  rnt they? i luv em!, glad u did too!  if u continue reading my story, i think that u will find that i am one of the world's worst spellers and my grammar is atrocious.  spell check is my best friend in the world, and Word does have grammar check, but it *sadly* doesnt catch everything.  pleeeese bear with me... promise that i wont do anything too horrible to the poor english language! Quite One -- yes!  u are one of the two!!! (still dont know who the other person is) thank u (1) thank u (2) thank u (3) thank u (4) thank u (5)... thats five of the 1,000,000 thank u's i owe u now *g*  it is a wicked huge honor to b on the faves list of people, when i saw that, i started jumping up and down for joy!  all thanks to u and some other sweet person!  and i read the 5th chapter.... soooooo glad that its finally up!  seems like its been ages since u last updated it!  i understand though.... teachers can b very evil with all the homework! 

Disclaimer:  Dont own it.  I  think I can own Melana though, she young and agreeable (I wish)

ps.  something has recently been brought to my attention : Eldarion is the FIRST child of Aragorn and Arwen!!!  some how, i totally and completely missed that cos in this story, El has an older sister!   so i am making this an AU, just to let ya no (thanx to elbereth94 for informing me of that issue)

oh, also, in this chapter, I make the children act a bit older then they r (i think), so please dont mind that little issue.

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            Eldarion followed his father as fast as his small legs would carry him.  He had to race to keep up with his father's long strides.  

            Hurrying down the long staircase, Aragorn turned left at the bottom and sped down the wide hall, with Eldarion tagging along behind.  Stopping outside of a small doorway, Aragorn finally turned to see the little prince hustling down the corridor.

            "Stay out here," he said to the child, before opening the door, entering it and promptly closing it.  

            Reaching the wooden frame, Eldarion slumped panting, against the stonewall.  After a few minutes, he was aware of a figure standing over him.  Looking up, he found himself almost nose to nose with his older sister, Fëa.  Tossing her plait of brown hair over her shoulder, Eldarion groaned as he received one of Fëa's ever-annoying "where-have-you-been-and-why-have-you-been-playing-in-the-dirt-again" look.  It always drove Eldarion crazy whenever she looked at him like that.

            Sniffing upishly, (a/n:  i dont think that upishly is a real word, but im using it anyway) Fëa spoke the question that always followed the look.

            "What troublesome nonsense have you gotten yourself into now?"

Ignoring her, Eldarion asked, "What's wrong around here?"

            "Besides you stench I assume?"  Eldarion simply glared at her.

            "Yes, and besides your nose being so high up that I can see all the guck in it?" which was a very clever comeback for him.  He made a mental note to tell Melana about it when he saw her.  Fëa stared coldly at her younger brother for a moment before answering his original question.

            "Mother is having another baby," she said, excitement finally lighting up the pale brown eyes, "and let us pray that it is not another foolish boy.  Goodness knows that we already have more than enough trouble from the first one, another would simply escalate the chaos."  

            Making a face at her when his sister's back was turned, he muttered softly to himself, "well I hope that it's not another silly girl like Fëa.  I don't think I could take having another one of her around, telling me what to do.  A fun girl, like Melana, that would be okay, but not another Fëa, please, not another Fëa!"  Leaning his head back against the stone, Eldarion slowly began to drift into his own little world.  His thoughts flicked from this to that, until they finally settled on Melana.  

            "Hate to think of what her mum must be doing.  Probably making her do chores and stay inside.  Maybe I should sneak out later and see how she's doing, since it is kind of my fault anyway."  He wondered if Melana was even in trouble at all.  For a six year old girl, she was remarkably clever and crafty, and Eldarion couldn't think of a problem she hadn't been able to wiggle herself out of.  "if she had been with me when I went for the bread, we probably wouldn't even have been caught.  Like when we swiped the sweets last month."  Eldarion laughed when he remembered how he had faked a huge coughing fit at the grocers while Melana had stuffed sweets into her shirt.  They had met up later that night and spent the entire evening laughing about their trick and applauding themselves on their own cleverness.

            "I really hope she's not in trouble," Eldarion thought again.

            Melana sat on her bed fuming.  For the first time in her short life, she had gotten in trouble, but not back out of it.  

            "You are not weaseling yourself out of punishment this time young lady," her mother had stated before locking Melana in her room.  "When he comes home, your father and I will discuss your punishment," she had called through the door.  

"This is NOT fair, not one bit," she thought, crossing her arms firmly.  Her dirty fingernails began to dig deep into her skin and her knuckles turned white in anger.  It wasn't the getting in trouble part that bothered her, it was the not being able to get out that really drove her mad.  

"It wasn't as if I even did anything bad either.  Sneaking out wasn't that horrible, I've done plenty worse."  Pinpricks of crimson blood began to show on her arms against the tanned skin, and reality suddenly flew back to Melana.  

"Ouch!" she cried, dabbing the blood with the back of her sleeve.

Suddenly, her mother burst in again, this time with her father trailing behind.  The tall guard of Gondor smiled warmly at his only child, grey eyes sparkling in the stern face.  Melana knew that if her mother had not been there, a broad familiar smile would have been stretched across his face.  She tried hard to keep one from her own, but she was not as skilled as her father.  

Frowning hard at her daughter, Melana's mother, Antina, asked, "what on earth is so funny young lady?"

"Nothing mama," she replied with a chuckle.

Still frowning, Antina continued, "Your father and I have discussed some things and we have decided that you will not be allowed out of the house for a month," Melana opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced by a severe look from her mother, who went on, "and, you will not be allowed to wear anymore of those horrible boy clothes.  From now on, you will dress and act like a proper lady," holding up a plain, gray dress, Antina handed it to Melana while picking up some of the dirty old tunics and torn trousers and threw them out the window before poor Mel even had time to protest.  Her jaw dropped almost to the ground as she watched her precious clothing disappear.

"Mother!  How could you!"  

"It's time that you start acting like the young lady I know that you can be!"  Storming out of the room, Antina left Melana alone with her father.

"Melan*," he spoke in a soft deep voice, "Melan, I know that you might not understand this now, but someday, you will.  Just trust your mother, she knows what she's talking about."  Kissing her red cheek, he turned and closed the door quietly behind him.  

Pursing her lips, it was all the poor girl could do to keep from screaming out loud.  

Day had given way to the darkness of night, and still Melana had not moved.  All the hours she had sat fuming on her bed, teeth clenched and her hands round balls of anger.  

Suddenly, she heard a sharp tapping, awakening her for a time from her anger.

"Mely!" she heard a soft voice whisper outside her window, "Mely, are you there?"

She crept slowly to her window, and peering out found herself looking upon the Prince of Gondor.

"Oh, it's you!" she breathed a sigh of relief, "so, what's going on?  Why are you here?"

"It's a huge surprise... You have to see it!  Can you come with me now?"  Looking around furtively, she finally nodded, saying, "I think so.  I've been told that I must stay in my room for a month," Eldarion let out a low groan, "but that's never stopped us before!"  

Crawling quietly out the window, Melana met Eldarion with a proud, mischievous look.

"Now, what's so important?"

"You'll see."

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man, that took FOREVER to write!!!!!

sorry if that it's so bad... i wrote most of it during study. *g*

please review.... the lack there of is kind of disheartening.  i really want to continue, but I also really need reviews.  constructive crit is welcomed, as usual, but i ask you to please not flame.  thanx.

hopefully, the next chapter shouldn't taks as long.... but i want to finish the final chappie of Lian before i go any further on this.

luv,

hollie

* just ta let ya know, this was not a typo.  Melan (pronounced Mellon) is Melana's nickname that basically just her dad calls her.  not really an important detail, but i just thought u should know. :)


	3. Births and Birthdays

geeze, this has taken forever to write... I've been sidetracked with my other two stories.  

well, here it is, chapter 3!

Disclaimer:  I don't own this stuff... well, not all of it anyways.  I own Melana and her fam... but that's about it I think.  If you don't recognize it, chances are it's mine.

oh, I'm sorry that this is so short... I meant to make it longer, but I've got so much work to do, that this will have to suffice for now.  Sorries!

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            "She did what?" the small dark haired prince turned to the little girl jogging besides him.

            "I told you, she threw out all my good trousers and tunics, and said that from now on, I'm going to have to wear dresses.  Didn't you see my clothes on the ground when you came in?"

            "I didn't notice them," he stopped to look around the darkened streets.  Turning to his left, he dragged the girl through a narrow space between two houses.  They soon came upon wide gates, but quietly skirted them.  They crawled through a small hole in the stonewall, hidden from view by large bushes.  Skillfully, they crept through a large, well kept garden, following a path that they had created.  After several moments, they found themselves at the base of the large, grand castle of Gondor.  Using the servant's entrance, they entered the castle, following dark corridors until they made it to the wide, brightly lit main hall.  

            "Come on Mely, I've got something to show you!"  Melana chased after her excited friend as he raced down another hallway, this one full to the bursting with people.  Maids were dashing to and fro, servants rushed about, and tall men and women that looked as if they might healers filed out of a door near the end of the hall.  Melana could feel the excitement in the air, and she could see it reflected on the faces of the people.  Her young mind wondered what could possibly have all these people so thrilled, especially so late at night.  

            She soon found out, as Eldarion dragged her between countless legs, startling more than a few people, and they crawled their way through the crowd and into the room that all the excitement seemed to pulse from.  In the middle, Melana could see the bottom of a large bed.  Finally having room to stand, she followed Eldarion to the side of the bed and was met by a big (even though it was quite small) surprise.  Arwen, Eldarion's mother and the Queen of Gondor lay in the bed, and in her arms, she cradled a tiny baby who was happily wailing.

            Eldarion's father was there too, standing proud by his wife's side, and so was Fea, Eldarion's big sister.  Melana had always thought Fea to be a bit stuck up and grumpy, and she was quite surprised to see the older girl smiling and cooing to the infant.

            Eldarion turned, grinning, to his open-mouthed friend.  "Melana, I'd like you to meet my new sister.  I dunno what her name is though, they," he jerked a thumb towards his family, "haven't decided yet."

            Arwen smiled, "we've narrowed it down to two," she spoke softly, her exhaustion evident in her voice, "Lailian and Tianasin."

            Melana wrinkled her nose, "those are awful long names for such a tiny baby, your highnesses," she added, remembering her manners.  "What about if you made them shorter, like... um, what about Lian?"

            Arwen looked thoughtfully up at her husband, who smiled.

            "Lian," he breathed, "it suits her."

            "Then Lian it shall be," Arwen cooed softly to her new daughter, "Why hello Lian, welcome to the world."

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                                                                                    five years later

            "Slow down!  Melana!"  A tall boy, his hair whipping in his face from the wind, chased after a young girl, blond curls flying behind her as she ran.  Turning her head slightly, she called back to him,

            "What's the matter, can't keep up?"  Laughing, she continued to run through the field.  The boy shook his head, and then he started laughing as well.  She came to the top of a gently sloping hill, then giggling, rolled down it, her skirts covered with grass and dirt stains.  He followed, landing about four feet from where she lay, laughing like crazy.  

            "Curse these skirts," she said, as she tried to stand, but wound up falling back to the ground in a tangled mess.

            "You know, I think that you've said that every day since we were around seven."  He laughed again, as she tried fruitlessly to untangle herself.

            "Well, can you blame me?  Lucky boy, you don't have to wear these absurd things.  Lian is so fortunate; your parents let her wear what she will.  But my mother..." she trailed off, shaking her head.

            "Oh, It can't be that bad."

            She frowned at him, "I'd like to see you prance around in one."  They both laughed at the thought of the skinny prince gallivanting around in a dress.  Melana laid herself down in the soft green grass, staring up at the wispy clouds in the fresh blue sky.  There wasn't the slightest bit of wind or chill in the air; it felt as if the world had stopped.

            "It's so beautiful and peaceful," she breathed, still staring at the sky.

            "It's okay," Eldarion agreed, shrugging his shoulder, "but I'd rather take some adventure any day!"

            "Insensitive male," she muttered, standing.  "Well, come on now.  We don't want to be late for Fea's birthday diner tonight, now do we?"  Eldarion rolled his eyes.

            "Must we go?  I hate her birthdays, she always has to have everything so neat and precise and boring!"

            "Eldarion!" Melana scoffed, "she's your sister!  Be nice.  Come on, you'll get an earful if you're late... again."  Eldarion winced as he remembered how he had shown up precisely four minutes late for Fea's last birthday.  She had yelled so long and loud afterwards that he'd swore he would go deaf.  

Trudging up the hill, he followed Melana on the short path back to Gondor.  They called up to the afternoon guard at the first gate, who let them in immediately.  The two friends were always going in and out of the city, and were well known by the guards.

"On your way to the celebration?" the tall, cheerful guard asked the two children as they passed. Eldarion looked dispiritedly up at him and nodded.  The guard chuckled as he watched the young prince allow himself to be dragged by his best friend.  

As they finally reached the gates at the Citadel, Eldarion stopped short, surprising Melana.  He looked down at her with pleading eyes, "must we go Mel?  I'm sure we could find something else to do instead..." he searched his mind for some alternatives, "like... we could go riding?  Or explore in the forest, or... or..." Melana shook her head at the older boy.

"Come on now.  As tempting as all that sounds, think of how hurt Fea will be if we miss her birthday, you know how important it is to her.  And despite the fact that you two are always at each other about something, I know that you really care for her, and she for you."  Eldarion groaned slightly.  Melana was finally getting a bit fed up. 

 Eldarion was a fine friend, the best a girl of her spirit could ask for, but he could be incredibly stubborn and irritating at times.  Stamping her foot in the well-packed earth, she cried out, "Eldarion, you have to be the most infuriating boy on Middle Earth!  If you want to go and be all insensitive, then fine by me.  I'm going to go wish your sister well on her birthday.  Now, if you'll excuse me," she pushed past the stunned boy and made her way into the Citadel.  Eldarion stood for a moment, dumbstruck by Melana's sudden outburst.  After several moments, he turned to race after her, planning to apologize for being insensitive, or whatever she had called him.  However, it wasn't as easy as he thought it would be.  

Melana had blended quickly into the crowd that was thronging into the large back courtyard.  She knew that Eldarion would come after her, but at the moment, she was too angry to want to talk, and she also knew that he give her one look, a special pout that only he used, and she'd melt like ice in a hot summer's day.  She truly wasn't in the mood to give in to his charm; she full well intended to stay angry.  She headed directly to the one person that she knew Eldarion would avoid; Fea.  Walking up to the older girl, a cheery smile on her face, she spoke, "Hello Fea, happy birthday!"  Fea looked down at Melana with only the slightest hint of disdain.

"Thank you," was her stiff reply.  Melana bit her lip and forced a smile.  Even when Fea was "nice" she was aggravating.  _"They'll never admit it, but El and Fea have an awful lot in common,"_ she chuckled at the thought of what Eldarion would do if she told him that.  Then she chided herself, _"No, no laughing.  You're mad at him, remember?  He was an insensitive, uncaring..."_ she was startled by a sudden, rather loud voice.  

"Fea, dear sister, happy birthday!"  Melana turned to see Eldarion standing before the slightly shocked Fea, grinning like crazy.  His hair was unruly as usual, and his cheeks slightly pink, but nonetheless, he was there.  He handed Fea a bouquet of freshly picked elanor blossoms.  She smiled uncertainly at her brother, who grinned in return.  Shaking her head, Fea took the flowers and giving Eldarion one last look, she turned to greet some of her friends.

Eldarion then took the opportunity to work his charm on the still fuming Melana.  Knowing him all too well, she cut straight to the point.

"Listen El, if you think that you can just come in here, being all sweet and charming and expect me to..." she trailed off as he gave her 'the look'.  She cringed, "oh no, not that... don't you even... Oh, I hate you!" she said, not meaning it one bit.  He smiled, knowing that he had won.

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well.... what do you think?  I rather like this chapter (unusual for me, because most oft I hate my own work.) but all that really matters to me is what the reviewers think.  Please tell me what I should change, or what you liked, what you would like to see happen, any spelling errors I might have made, etc.  I checked my work very carefully this time (another first for me :) but that's not saying much, since my grammar/spelling is, and always has been atrocious.  I think that I need a beta reader, but I'd have to get a working e-mail address!  and find someone willing for the job!  If any kind soul is interested, please tell me in a review, sil vous plait.  thanks bunches guys!

oh, before I post this, a few, quick messages.....

Quiet One- homework is the devil.  I absolutely, 100% agree.  thanks for finding the time to read my stories, and write your wonderful stuff.  (ps.  FARIN!!!!!!!!)

Nariko- oh!  im soooooo glad that you like this!!!!  and thanks bunches to u too!  I was wondering... would u consider putting some of your stories into english?  cos I'd love to read some, but I don't speak a work of Spanish!  oh, by the way, I've posted Lian: Part Two... if you're still interested

Aldawen- u rock.

Salysha- ur welcome.  actually, your What They Fear stories are like, my fave LotR comedies!  I die laughing every time I read them!!  and yay!  I luv talkin to another Aragorn luvr, but sadly... my email is so messed rite now... *shakes hand threateningly at screwed up email* evil thing.

okay, that's it, I'm done.  thanks bunches and bunches to everyone who has reviewed... I luv ya all!

luv,

hollie


	4. A Message From Hollie

okay.... I just have one quick announcement; it will only take a moment of your time.

Lately I have become almost 100% wrapped up in my fan fiction... good for the stories, but not so good for grades, chores, other responsibilities, etc.  I've decided that I need to end this little obsession before it escalates into a big problem.  So, I have decided that I am going to go one month with absolutely **no** fan fiction.  *eerie music plays in background*  This includes writing it and reading stories.  I'm really sorry, but I've got to.  Please, I hope that you all understand.  I will be returning to ff.n on November 10th.... but don't expect any new chapters posted that day!  I will try to review some stories though, because I know that the lack of some of the fanfics I'm reading now is gonna drive me crazy!  

luv always,

hollie


	5. Strangers and Studies

geezums... sorries that it's takin sooooooo long to post!!  I've become incredibly sidetracked by my Harry Potter and the Fire Hawk fic (hey, any HP fans... please read!! *g*)

anywhoo.... thanx to all the people who are still reading this... I know it's not that interesting yet.... but just read on.... *g*

Disclaimer: I created Melana and Fea and Lian... and I gave Eldarion his personality, but that's about it.  I don't own any of this stuff... i don't even own my OC's.... fickle creatures... *glares at OC's, who grin evily* anyways... here's the story.................

            *************************************************************************

Melana walked casually down the road of dirt packed hard from many years of use.  She brushed a stray curl back from her face that had been blown loose of the ribbon that tied back the blonde locks.  She wandered along, having no direct destination.  Usually on such a beautiful day, she would have been out in the fields or the forest, running free with her best friend, Eldarion.  The prince however, had "Royal lessons" that he was required to take that kept him cooped inside the castle of Gondor.  

Melana smiled as she recalled how Eldarion had tried to weasel his way out of the tedious studies, and how the scholars had blanched when they caught him escaping.  She shook her head and sighed.  Life without Eldarion was boring and lackluster.

She watched the people scurry around, all with families and jobs to take care of.  She sighed again, thinking of her own parents.  Her mother Antina, was the typical conservative woman.  She believed that a woman's place was in the home, taking care of the men.  She spent most of her time cooking or weaving, and she tried to hammer her own values into Melana's head.  Though she couldn't tame the girl's wild spirit, she had changed her wardrobe.  Since the age of seven, Melana had been forced out of her beloved tunics and breeches and into what her mother deemed "proper attire for a young lady."  Skirts and dresses were annoying and cumbersome, but she had eventually adjusted to the change.

Her father was a different story.  Opposite from his boisterous wife, Darlin was a tall, soft-spoken guard of the city.  He was kind hearted and well loved by most.  It was probably his understanding that Melana loved the most.  No matter how much trouble she got in (and she tended to get in quite a lot) he never got angry.  

Melana was jolted out of her thoughts as someone slammed into her from behind.  She fell face first into the dusty earth, instinctively covering her face with her arms.  She landed with a hard "thud!" and she also though she heard a slight cracking sound, but she wasn't positive.  Another "thud" followed, this time accompanied by an "oof!" as a heavy body fell directly atop her.  

The extra weight rolled away almost immediately, and Melana felt strong hands pull her up.  She turned to see a young boy, probably only a few years older than she.  A blush rose in his fair cheeks, and he combed back golden hair from his face.  

_"He must be from Rohan,"_ Melana thought; remembering what little she had heard of the Rohirrim from the North.  Flaxen hair the likes of his was rare in the South, most all of Gondor's people had dark hair and gray eyes, and even Melana's blonde was tinged with brown.

"Please excuse me," he spoke, his lilting voice concerned.  "I'm terribly sorry, I am late for a meeting and I wasn't paying much attention."

_"A meeting?"_ she thought, eyes alight with wonder_, "he look's awfully young for business."_

"Are you alright?"

Melana nodded, ignoring the dull pain in her left arm.  She was no stranger to injury and breaks and bruises did not bother her in the slightest.

"I'm terribly sor-"

Melana waved her hand to silence him.  "Think nothing of it.  No harm done."  She nodded her head again in farewell, then walked past him, deciding to go to her home for the time being, at least until Eldarion was released from his studious prison.

Try as she might, she couldn't quite take her mind off the stranger.  She had had no idea that people of Rohan were coming to Gondor, although, someone might have told her, and she was just too busy or uninterested to listen.  That was usually the case with such things.  

As she walked through the narrow doorframe and into her cozy home, she felt again a slight twinge of pain in her arm.  She looked down and saw a nice purple bruise forming around a long, thin cut. 

_"Perfect," _she thought.  _"Mother will take one look at this and faint dead away.  Perhaps I can hide it..."_ She snuck into her bedroom and pulled on a long-sleeved cloak.  She knew it would look a bit odd, it being such a warm day, especially for autumn, but she could see no other option.

She was relieved when her mother asked no question about her unusual garb.  In fact, Antina was acting strangely unlike herself; very quiet and she seemed preoccupied.  She made no protest when Melana exited the house to visit Eldarion at the Citadel, which Melana was grateful for.  She was quite tired of long lectures on how she should be spending more time with proper young ladies, not the unruly prince.  Melana swore that if she heard, "You're fifteen, you need to start acting like a lady!" one more time she would scream.

                                                ******************************

Melana tapped her foot impatiently on the stone floor of the majestic castle, humming softly to herself.  The scholar had told her that Prince Eldarion would only be a moment quarter of an hour ago and boredom had begun to settle in.  She was seriously considering leaving and returning later in the evening when a heavy wooden door creaked open nearby.  

Eldarion spilled out, looking weary beyond measure.  It was a rather startling sight to behold.  His usually wild and unruly dark hair was combed neatly back and it looked freshly washed.  Comfortable old tunics and breeches had been replaced with pressed trousers and a buttoned shirt with a royal blue hunting jacket over it.  Listless gray eyes combed the hallway, then suddenly brightened as they caught sight of a friendly figure.

"Save me," he mumbled, coming to lean against the wall where Melana waited.  He slumped to the ground, a huge yawn escaping his lips.

"By the Valar, what'd they do to ya in there?"  She lowered herself to the floor also, looking up at him with concerned eyes.

"It was awful.  First they made me bathe, which I don't mind, cept it was some kinda funny water, with all this perfumy stuff in it.  It reeked I tell ya, you can still smell it a little."  Melana leaned closer, sniffing his arm.

"Ew!" she yanked her head back quickly as the odiferous smell crept into her nostrils.  "Yuck, that smells like the old ladies that sit around and yell at people all day long."

Eldarion nodded his agreement and continued.  "That wasn't the worst of it though.  Once I was all bathed, they tried to slick back my hair.  It hurt an awful lot, cause the combs got stuck and they'd try to yank 'em loose." He shuddered, gently massaging his scalp.  Melana ran thin fingers through the neat hair, then tussled them, attempting to get the strands back to their natural positions.  As she reached up her arm, part of her cloak fell back, revealing her injury from earlier in the day.  Eldarion took one look at it and swore loudly.

"What happened to you?" he asked, grabbing her arm to inspect the wound.

"Nothing," she lied.

He snorted, "what'd you do, fall outta bed?  Come on Mel, tell me what happened."

She bit her lip, then relented.  "Honestly, it wasn't very important, some boy wasn't looking where he was going and he crashed into me.  I fell, that's all."

White hot rage filled the older boy's eyes, and a chill ran down Melana's spine.

"Who was he?" he asked his voice harsh.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully, and a little timidly.  Never before had she seen him look as angry as he did now, it was disconcerting.  "He wasn't from here, he-- he looked like a Rohirrim.

Eldarion swore again, this time out of frustration, not surprise.  

"Eldarion, are... are you alright?  You're frightening me a little."  He closed his eyes, and when the lids opened again, the eyes they revealed were softer, back to normal.

"I'm sorry Mel.  It's just all this royal training and stuff, it's got me a bit on edge, that's all." He managed a weak smile at her, and she grinned in response.

They sat like that for a while, their heads resting against the stone, lapsing into thoughtful silence.  After a while, Melana heard peaceful breathing at her left, and she turned her head to see that Eldarion was fast asleep.  She smiled, and then yawned, and resting her head on his shoulder, also drifted off into a deep slumber.

                                                            ************************

When Melana and Eldarion woke several hours later, it was to see a young girl, probably no older than eight, standing over them, hands on her hips.  A fiendish grin played across her lips as she kicked her older brother's and surrogate sister's feet.  Eldarion groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"What time is it," he mumbled.

The girls smirked again.  "Late, very late.  What were you two up to down here?"

Eldarion reached up to swat her and missed. He was so exhausted that he hardly noticed the taunting grin he received.  Melana was wide awake by then, and she stood up, wrapping her cloak tightly around her body; in a short time, it had gotten very cold.

"Lian," she giggled, tousling the young girl's dark hair, "I don't know what you're leading up to, but I'd quit before he," she pointed a finger at the worn out prince, "wakes up."  Lian giggled knowingly, and then scampered away, up to who knows what kind of mischief.  In a few short years, the youngest child of King Elessar and Queen Undomiel had proven herself to be every bit as clever and free willed as her brother.  Melana smiled as she watched Lian scurry off; Lian reminded her of herself and Eldarion when they had been that age.

Melana reached her hand down to Eldarion, helping him to his feet.  

"You should get to sleep," she informed him as his lashes fluttered, blinking to keep awake.

"No," he shook his head, "I'll walk you back to your house first."  When she looked curiously up at him, his only reply was, "Never know what kind of crowd hangs around after nightfall."

This made absolutely no sense to the girl; it was usually the two of them who snuck through the city in the dark.  Melana loved exploring in the dark, as the nightly shadows created new places out of the wonted city.

She was too tired to argue with him, and the two stumbled out of the castle and made their way to the lower circle.  

"G'night," Eldarion murmured as they reached Melana's small house.  "See you tomorrow."  She gave him a slight wave before passing through the doorframe.

Antina and Darlin had already gone to sleep, and Melana snuck quietly into her own room.  Lying down on her bed, thoughts of slumber and rest disappeared to be replaced with other things.  

"Perfect," she grumbled, "I'm finally home and now I can't sleep."  She closed her eyes, images drifting to and fro in front of them.  She recalled her dull morning interrupted by the mysterious stranger.  For some reason, that memory flashed more frequently than the others.  Eldarion's unusual reaction to her cut also stood out vividly, for reasons unexplainable to her.

Melana sighed, thinking hard about her day, and then finally drifted off into deep slumber.

                                                ***************************

Bright light streamed through the small window, beams of sunlight dancing across Melana's face.  She groaned and turned over, but it was no use.  Now awake, she slipped out of her bed, just then realizing that she'd forgotten to change into her nightgown.  She grabbed a clean skirt and blouse, and tossed them on quickly.  With a pair of small cloth slippers on her feet, protecting her toes from the cold floor, she made her way out into the kitchen, once again humming softly.  

She was quite surprised to see both of her parents sitting at their small dining table, and they gazed solemnly at her as she entered.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her suspicions immediately alert.

"Why don't you come and sit," her mother requested gently.

_"Oh no, something's horribly wrong,"_ Melana thought franticly.

"Yesterday," her father spoke slowly, making certain that his daughter retained all the information he was giving, "some representatives from Rohan came to the city.

_"That explains that boy."_

"King Aragorn wanted to discuss with them the situation with the Southrons."  Melana nodded.  It was common knowledge that the Southrons had been giving the country trouble, bothering merchants and patrols and such, but why was her father telling her this?

"Yesterday they came to the decision that a small group of guards will move south, closer to the Southron border to try and make peace with them, or at least be able to warn the city if trouble is brewing."

Now it made sense to her.  Her father was one of those guards, and he was saying goodbye to them.

"How long will you be gone?"

He looked down at his daughter, choosing his words carefully.

"It's not a matter of short term, this would be a permanent move."

Melana's eyes went wide, "but father, you can't just leave us here!"

He placed a strong hand on her arm, comforting her, "I won't be Melan... you and your mother are coming with me."

            **********************************************************************

dun dun dun!  ~tee hee hee~  so............. how was it!?!?!?!  i am actually pretty proud of this chapter... and it has taken forever to write!!!!  I was going to make it a bit longer, but that was just too good of a cliffie (which I know some of u... specially Tiff , luv..... ;-) to pass up!

comments/ideas/opinions/spelling/gramatical errors that need to be pointed out are welcome, as always.  and as usual, i'd appreciate no flames.  just a few quick things, then i promise to stop babbling!

skahducky-  thank u so much!  you r just too sweet!

Nariko- it's always so nice to hear from you... your comments just make my day!  pleeeease translate some!!!  i'd luv to read them!

Quiet One-  well of course I'm persistant about farin... he the BEST!!!!! thanks to u for being a terrific reviewer... not only to this, but to all of my other stories!  ur the bestest!

Miss2Pouty- u too?  I'd been looking for an El fic and I couln't find one for the life of me so I said "what the heck!" and wrote my own! *g*  a favvie... sweet!  thanks bunches!!!

SilverElf- thats a very cool name, btw.  ~tee hee hee~ i cna't spell either.  I spelt the name of an OC in another story wrong once... *lowers head in embarrassment*  anywhoo.... thanks for the input, i wil def keep in mind what u said bout the A/N's... makes a ton of sense.... thanks!

okie dokie, i'm done now.  *g*.  hmm... my friend was rite... i do write "*g*" a lot... oh well! *g*

thanks for reading this!!!

luv,

hollie


	6. Tears and Troubles

geeze, I'm sorry that my updates are few and far between... It's awful, trying to write three stories at once!  Plus I just posted several little ficlets and have started work on yet another regular fic... yeah, so things have just been really hectic in my life and whatev.  Sorry that this has taken soooo long!!!

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

********************************************************************

The Prince of Gondor

by Hollie

            In her fifteen short years upon Middle-Earth, Melana had become accustomed to a rather peculiar lifestyle and to having unexpected things happen to her.  She roamed freely about the city of Gondor with her best friend, the crown prince, into all hours of the night.  She was the only girl she knew who cared absolutely nothing for fashion, jeweled trinkets and the like, or who never cooed endlessly over boys.  She adventured into the hearts of neighboring forests with Eldarion with relish and she treated the castle as her second home.  

            However, none of the aforementioned experiences prepared her for the shocking news she had just received. 

            "What are you talking about," she asked her father, panic rising in her voice, "we cannot move!"

            "Melan, dearest, King Aragorn had a meeting with Eomer, King of the Mark; He is the King of Rohan," Darlin added, noticing that she was confused, "and with the Lord Steward Faramir, and it was decided..."

            "The King?" Melana was thoroughly confused now; Aragorn was like a second father to her, so why would he send her family away?

            "Yes, and it was decided that..." Darlin was unable to finish his sentence.  Melana bolted from her chair, fled their cottage-home, and ran flat-out for the Citadel.

            None of the Gondorians paid Melana much attention at first.  The prince's friend was constantly dashing to and fro between the Citadel and her own home in the lower circles.  It wasn't until they noticed the tears streaming down her pale cheeks did they pay her any heed.  

            Melana didn't notice any of them.  She didn't even notice when she ran head on into a boy, the same one who had crashed into _her_ the previous day.  She didn't care who he was anymore, or why he was there.  It didn't matter.  The only thing that mattered to her that moment was getting to Eldarion.  She would tell him everything that had happened, then have him talk to his father and straighten the mess out.  

            _"Yes,"_ she thought, _"that will work perfectly.  Eldarion will fix everything."_

*******************************

            Day two of lessons were turning out to be even more excruciatingly boring than day one had been.  Eldarion sat in his chair, half listening to the scholars lecture him on this king and that foreign policy, and every tedious event that had ever occurred in Middle Earth, or so it seemed to him.

            He was truly on the verge of drifting into deep slumber, when the chamber door burst open.  In spilled Melana, her dress covered in dirt and debris, her eyes red and puffy and her cheeks glistening, soaked in tears.  

            "Mel!" the prince exclaimed, running to his distraught friend.  "Mel, what happened to you?"  Try as she might, it just became impossible for her to contain herself, and she sobbed heavily into his shoulder.

            The scholars stood patiently for a few moments, until it became obvious that it would be quite some time before the girl would be able to pull herself together.  One of the elderly men cleared his throat.

            "Your highness," he began in a wheezy voice, "perhaps you could deal with such personal matters at a latter time?  We really should be continuing with you lessons."

            Eldarion looked up at him with steely gray eyes that radiated a sort of hidden but immense power.

            "It will be my job to handle the matters concerning the people of Gondor one day, will it not?" he asked in a voice that was icy cold.  The old scholar nodded his head slowly.  "Then perhaps," Eldarion continued, "I should use this opportunity to prepare for the future, as this is no doubt a citizen of this city who calls out for my assistance."  Try as he might, the old man could think of no plausible argument to this; the clever prince had won.  

            "You are dismissed, gentlemen.  I will call for you once I am able to resume my studies."  Once again, the old men could not refuse such a stern order, and they had no choice but to exit the chamber.

            Melana had regained her self-control by that point and was now breathing heavily, her head still buried deep into Eldarion's shoulder.

            The formal curtness he had previously been using disappeared as Eldarion finally returned his attention to Melana.  Hugging her tightly, he simply stood with her until she finally felt ready to talk.

            "What's the matter Mely?" he asked, his concern evident in his voice.  

            "Everything!" she exclaimed, rubbing her teary eyes with the back of her hand.  "He's.... We're... _I'm_.... moving away."  Eldarion was sure that he had heard her wrong.  It was the exhaustion, yes, that was it.  He was tired, so he had heard the words she said incorrectly.

            "Beg pardon?" he said.

            Melana's big blue eyes locked with his gray ones, and the look alone confirmed his worst fears.

            "No," he whispered, "no!  You cannot just move away from here!  Why?"

            "Apparently there was a meeting between the King of Rohan, the Lord Steward Faramir and your father, and they decided... Well, I know not what they decided upon, but I know that it is bad, and that because of it, my father my mother and myself are moving away!  Eldarion, is there anything that you can do?  Can you talk to your father maybe?  Please!"  He eyes pleaded with his, begging him for help.

            "Oh course!  You do not think that I would just let you leave!"

            A smile spread across Melana's face, lightening her features.  She wrapped her arms around Eldarion's neck, hugging him tightly.

            "Hey!  I can't breathe!"

            "Oh, sorry!"  Melana lessened her grip on the prince, blushing slightly.  He only laughed and punched her arm lightly.  Eldarion looked down at his friend, who was almost a head shorter than himself.

            _"What will I do if she leaves?"_ he thought, his mind becoming troubled.  _"What will I do if I can never sneak through Gondor with her, explore the forests, cause trouble with her ever again?"_

            "El?" Melana started, seeing that he was becoming slightly upset.

            "What?  Oh, sorry, I drifted off there for a second."  He smiled reassuringly, then returned to the questions that plagued his thought.  _"What will happen if she really does move away?  What if I never get to see her face again, or hear her voice, or..."_ He stopped suddenly, realizing that he was beginning to sound like an old romantic lamenting for a lost love.  He blinked and shook his head slightly.  He didn't feel that way towards Melana, she was his friend, practically his sister.  _"No, I don't feel like that towards her at all... I think."   _

*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*

Evil place to stop, I know!  I couldn't help myself though!  Now don't worry, this fic isn't gonna turn into some depressingly boring mushy piece (I've written enough fluff lately with the Lian fics!!!)  Things will hopefully begin to get very interesting, as well as complicated!

Oh, there was also something I wanted to address.  My friend Jamie brought this up with me the other day; according to something or other recorded in one of the RotK appendices, the ruler of Gondor can be man or woman, it just has to be the first born child.  Fea, in my version of Aragorn's family, is the oldest child.  Sorry about that, but uh, let's just pretend that it's the first male heir.  I know, noble Aragorn would never impart something so sexist, but let's just pretend that that's how it's always been, okay? Thanks guys!

And speaking of thanks.....

Quiet One- U rock!  I really hope that this chapter was up to your satisfaction!!!  Thanks!!!!!!  Really, could you be any better of a friend and reviewer?  Hey, when's TtEoaSF gonna be updated???  I'm dying for more!!!

Skahducky- Sorry that it took me so long to update!  And thank you very much!  Hopefully, this chapter was a little happier, the end was promising at least I hope!  I hate to say this, but the next chapters r probably gonna be sadder.  Sorries!  Oh, by the way... you have a really cool pen name!  How'd you think of it?  It's awesome!  

Miss2Pouty- Hey, guess what!  I think your character will be making her appearance in the next chappie!  Should be fun!  Oh, one thing though... She can't be Faramir's niece.  Boromir's dead, with no wife, no kids, rite? And Eowyn's only sibling is Eomer.  In my genealogy, Eomer has only one child, his son Eower.  Don't worry though; Alyson will definitely have a place!  Other than that, I really liked your ideas and suggestions!!!  Thanks for the input, and for all the kind words!  Luv ya!

PinkPineapple- =D

Nariko- Sooooo sorry that this chapter has taken so long in getting written!  Aargh, I meant to write it, but I kept having other things to do, or getting ideas for other fics... Aie!  I would /love/ to help you translate a fic, but I dunno if I'm the best one to ask!  My spelling and grammar is horrendous (I live on Spell Check!), but I would be more than happy to help in any way that I can!

Hmm... I think that's it.  Terribly sorry if I've missed someone, it wasn't intention I promise!

Well, thanks for being so great guys, I luv y'all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

luv,

hollie


	7. The Flood of Remembrance

            Geeze... I'm sorry that this has gone so long without an update.  I keep meaning to, but then I'll get an idea for one of my other five stories that I'm in the process of writing (yup, 5 at the same time.... I am _soooo crazy!), so I get off track... so I'm sorry!  I'll try to make this chapter really good, to make up for my lack of posting... but it probably won't be.  *sigh*_

Disclaimer:  Okay, I own..... nothing!  Yup, that's right, absolutely nothing.  All the OCs belong to themselves, and the canons belong to J.R.R. himself.  Oh, but Socks and Roch are mine, I've decided.  :)  Okay, so I own them.  Yup!  (Yay, I finally own something!)  

A/N:  Okay, my apologies if this chapter is too mushy or sad or whatever... I've recently noticed that there's been a lot of crying lately in this fic... ah well, it's an emotional time.  Yea, that's it.  Oh, also, be forewarned that I know very little about horses and horseback riding.  I'm trying to avoid anything technical, but just incase, I apologize if I screw something up.  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Prince of Gondor

By Hollie

            Seated at a grand mahogany desk, the young man let out a deep sigh.  Parchment was piled high to one side, and almost mechanically, the man grabbed the top sheet, rewet his quill pen, and proceeded to sign the bottom of the paper.

            His eyelids fluttered open and shut over tired gray eyes, fighting back the sleep that threatened.  A yawn escaped his lips and he gently massaged his temples.  

            _"I have just got to find some way to keep awake," he thought as he blew gently on the ink signature to dry it before grabbing another parchment sheet.  _

            As hard as he tried, the young man just could not keep his mind on his work.  He brushed strands of unruly dark hair back from his face, revealing skin that was somewhat pale and drawn.  How many days had he been cooped up inside, filling out these infernal papers?  He couldn't even remember.  It could have been months or years, for all he knew.  Work was duller than ever, but it was better than nothing.  At least it gave him something to think about, other than the past.

            He sighed again; he did _not_ feel like dwelling on his past, not now, probably not ever.  Yet even as he fought it, memories, like a flood, broke the dam he'd placed around his mind, flowing out in a torrent of events...

            _The heir to Gondor's throne, sixteen year old Eldarion, wrapped a protective arm around a girl about his own age, Melana, his best friend as far back as his memory stretched.  She sobbed miserably into his shoulder, unable to stop the tears.  He was content to just stand there with her, and wait until she felt she could talk.  _

_            Collecting herself, she told him what her parents had previously informed her of; they were leaving Gondor._

_            ""No," he whispered, "no! You cannot just move away from here! Why?"_

_ "Apparently there was a meeting between the King of Rohan, the Lord Steward Faramir and your father, and they decided... Well, I know not what they decided upon, but I know that it is bad, and that because of it, my father my mother and myself are moving away! Eldarion, is there anything that you can do? Can you talk to your father maybe? Please!" Her eyes pleaded, begging him for help._

_ "Oh course! You do not think that I would just let you leave!"_

_             A smile spread across Melana's face, lightening her features. She wrapped her arms around Eldarion's neck, hugging him tightly.  Eldarion knew that he had to help, had to make sure Melana stayed with him, in Gondor--- what would he do without his best friend?  How would he survive?_

_*~*~*_

_            "But Father!" Eldarion exclaimed, furious.  His meeting with the king, Aragorn, was not going well._

_            "Eldarion, son, calm yourself and listen.  I am sorry that Darlin chooses to move his family with him when the guards go south, but there is _nothing_ I can do.  Darlin will be needed there, you know this.  The men will respect him as they do me, they will listen.  If anyone in the Guard can figure out what the situation with the Southrons is, it will be him."  Aragorn paused, feeling deeply grieved for the expression of complete and utter despair on the face of his only son.  He wished that there was something he could do.  _

_            "You may extend my invitation to Captain Darlin and his wife that, if they wish, Melana would be most welcome to stay here whilst they are gone.  But Eldarion, I must warn you that I doubt..."_

_            Whatever Aragorn doubted was lost to his son.  As soon as Eldarion heard that Melana could stay at the Citadel, he was off and running.  He sprinted down corridors, headed for the front doors of the building, which were closer than his usual exit through the servants' door.  He leapt down the flight of stone steps two at a time, running flat out once he reached solid ground._

_            "Hey!" a guard called out as Eldarion pushed into him in his haste to get to the lower circles of the city.  _

_            "Sorry!" the prince replied quickly without turning round.  He made his way down to where Melana and her family lived, reaching their house at last.  He was about to burst through the door, but at the last second he remembered his manners.  Eldarion paused to catch his breath, and brushed the hair back from his face.  He straightened his tunic, and then, with a deep breath, he knocked on the door._

_            Captain Darlin answered.  He smiled as he recognized his prince and his daughter's friend.  Graciously, he welcomed Eldarion inside.  _

_            "What do we owe this honor, my lord?" Darlin asked in his ever-calm voice.  _

_            Smiling broadly, Eldarion asked, "I wondered if I could speak with you and your wife, sir?" Only the slightest twitch of the corner of his mouth betrayed the older man's feeling of surprise.  He had expected that Eldarion had come to see Melana... What could the prince wish to say to her parents alone?  He said nothing though, besides, "Certainly, my lord."  Then Darlin called for his wife, and led Eldarion to the humble dining area, which served as a sitting room.  _

_            Antina smiled warmly when she spotted Eldarion.  "Good day, your highness.  Are you looking for Melana?"_

_            "No, ma'am," he replied, returning the grin.  "I wanted to talk to you and Captain Darlin, please."_

_            Antina looked curiously at the boy, but said nothing.  The three sat on the chairs surrounding the dining table and Eldarion took a deep breath before beginning._

_            "I... I found out, well, Mel told me actually, that you would be moving, to the south."  Darlin and Antina exchanged looks and nodded solemnly at the prince.  "Well," Eldarion bit his lip, wondering how best to word what he had to say.  "Well, I talked to my father, and he said that you, Captain, you would be greatly needed there, and that there's nothing he can do about that.  But he said--- he said that if it's alright, with you both, and with Mel, then she'd be welcome to stay at the Citadel with us while you're gone.  I mean, mother and father already think of her as practically a daughter, and it'd be no trouble---"  He was cut off by a wave of Darlin's hand.  _

_            "Your highness, we appreciate the offer, but we," he gestured to himself and Antina, "have already discussed things, and our move will be a family one.  I know Melana will miss you and the city, but we will not have our family split up."_

_            Eldarion started to protest.  "But sir, she---"_

_            "We will not spilt up," Darlin replied evenly, also standing.  Antina looked between the set and determined face of her husband and the crestfallen one of Eldarion.  She smiled kindly at the boy and said, "perhaps you'd better go, dear.  Melana is asleep in her room now, but I'll let her know you stopped by when she wakes."  With that polite but firm dismissal, Eldarion had no choice but to turn and leave the house.  _

_*~*~*_

_            Eldarion walked about the city in a daze.  She was leaving.  His one chance, gone, dismissed.  Melana would leave the city, and he'd never see her again.  She'd be going off to a place that was possibly quite dangerous, and Eldarion wouldn't be able to follow, wouldn't be able to save her if she got in trouble, wouldn't be able to explore with her.  Life as he knew it would come to a close.  Without even realizing it, tears began to run down his sun-tanned cheeks.  _

_            "Eldarion!"  He didn't even have to turn around to recognize that voice.  He'd know Melana's tone anywhere.  Spinning around, he spotted her.  She was jogging up the path, weaving her way around the other people who walked the street.  _

_            When she reached him, he saw that she too had been crying.  And the news he had to give her would not make her feel better, he knew._

_            "Mel, I..." he started.  She pressed a finger to his lips and shook her head._

_            "I heard everything," she replied sorrowfully.  "I wasn't sleeping, just pretending to.  Oh, El, what am I going to do!"  She threw up her hands in the air; Eldarion's talk with Aragorn had been her last hope.  _

_            "I don't know," he muttered truthfully._

_            "Do you think," she started hesitantly, "do you think that maybe your father...?"_

_            Eldarion shook his head sadly.  "No.  Father said that he can't do anything about it.  Your father has to go, and it's his decision whether or not you and your mother go along."  _

_            Tears welled up in Melana's eyes.  "Then I guess..."_

_            Eldarion nodded silently; there was nothing left to do and they both knew it.  Melana's chin quivered and Eldarion could feel his hands shake in a combination of frustration and sorrow.  _

_            "Let's go riding," he blurted out suddenly.  _

_            "What?" Round blue eyes looked up curiously at Eldarion, and Melana wondered if she'd heard her friend correctly._

_            "Riding," he repeated, "let's go riding."  _

_            Still slightly confused, she replied, "well, alright."  _

_*~*~*_

_            Eldarion smiled slightly as he glanced over at Melana, who was whooping wildly as she rode Eldarion's spare mount.  The mount was a tan gelding with a white face and white socks.  Appropriately, she had been named Socks by Melana when Eldarion had first received her as a present for his fifteenth birthday.  In both Eldarion's and Melana's minds, Socks was the younger girl's horse.  Melana's parents could not afford to buy her a mount of her own, and Eldarion had no problem sharing with her._

_            He patted his own mount, a black saddle horse he had named Rochlómë, or Horse of the Dusk.  She whinnied happily, racing Socks over the grassy plains.  Another glance at Melana told Eldarion that his idea to go riding had been a smart one; a good hard race across the plains always made her forget things, no matter how upset she may have been.  She gave another cry and pumped a fist into the air, smiling wildly as her curls whipped across her face.  _

_            Smiling, Eldarion leaned forward on Roch, urging her on.  "Care for a race, Mely?" he yelled over the thundering of the horses' hooves._

_            "You're on!" she yelled back with a grin and another whoop._

_*~*~*_

_            "I win!" Melana cried triumphantly.  Eldarion shook his head as he slowed Roch to a trot.  _

_            "You cheated, at that last turn," he argued jokingly.  _

_            Melana halted  Socks, waiting for Eldarion and Roch to catch up before trotting besides them.  With her hands on her hips, she retorted, "not my fault that you're a sore loser."  She rubbed Sock's mane and scratched him between the ears.  Both horses were panting heavily, so Eldarion and Melana dismounted, to let the horses rest and graze on the lush green grass.  _

_            "You were wonderful," Melana murmured to Socks, unsaddling him and rubbing him down.  _

_            Eldarion smiled and said much of the same thing to Rochlómë as he unsaddled the mare.  Roch butted his head affectionately then followed Socks out to eat.  _

_            Eldarion sprawled in the grass, Melana following suit.  For the time, they were content to simply lie in the grass and look up at the sky.  Gray storm clouds approached in the distance, but for now, the sky above was clear and blue.  In a way, it reminded Eldarion of the situation they were currently in.  For the moment, things were fine and normal, but bad times were approaching fast, for certain._

_            To his side, he heard Melana sigh.  Turning his head to look at her, he saw that she too was staring at the storm clouds.  Her lips were pursed, her brows furrowed and her big blue eyes were sad.  Eldarion suddenly realized that it cause him pain to see her so upset.  _

_            Sitting up, he said, "come here."  Wordlessly, Melana came and settled herself in his lap.  He wrapped his arms around her waist and together they sat, simply watching the clouds that somehow they knew were intertwined with their doom.  _

_            "El?" Melana asked quarter of an hour later, still resting comfortably in the older boy's lap.  _

_            "Mmm?"_

_            "I'm going to miss you, you know."  She twisted slightly to face him and he managed a feeble smile._

_            "I'll miss you too, so much.  I wish you weren't leaving" Eldarion shook his head sadly, the action causing locks of dark hair to fall into his face.  Melana gave a weak laugh, and reached up to brush the hair from his face.  Her hand shook as it lingered against his head, and Eldarion reached up and pressed one of his own hands against her shaking one.  _

_            "El..."  With no more warning than that, Melana leaned in ever so slightly, and planted the briefest of kisses on the prince's lips.  She blushed as she pulled away and hastily got up.  Eldarion recovered from the wave of shock that had overcome him, and he also stood.  He opened his mouth to say something, though not really knowing what to say, but was interrupted by a loud rumble of thunder in the distance._

_            "We should get back," Melana whispered quickly.  Eldarion just nodded mutely.  The girl whistled, and the refreshed horses came trotting back.  They saddled the horses in silence, then mounted and rode off towards the city.  When they got back, Eldarion finally found his voice long enough to say "good night Mel," as  she dismounted and went inside her house.  _

_            Leading Socks and Roch back to the Citadel, Eldarion –try as he might- couldn't seem to take his mind off the fact that Melana had just kissed him._

            The young man sighed, and pressed a finger gently to his lips.  She had kissed him, Melana.  That one tiny event, an event that hadn't even lasted a full second, had somehow haunted him his entire life.  He missed her so badly, and he couldn't help but think about what may have been.  

            _Still, Eldarion reminded himself as he signed another sheet of parchment, _perhaps, just perhaps, we'll have our second chance... Maybe.__

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            Uugh, I can't believe I just did that.  *sighs* Crying and mush, all in the same chapter.  Well, I hope that wasn't too difficult to read, perhaps you even liked it.  *shrugs* I dunno.  The only way I'll know is.... da da da!  If you review!  Come on, ya know you wanna click that happy little button down there!!!  ;oD  Constructive crit is welcome, as always, and flames are not.  But you guys know the drill by now anyways.  

Okay, thank you's! (My fave part!)---

**Shakducky- Well, you were right... she /does/ move.  Sorry!  But I promise... eventually, thing won't be _so sad... really!  Thanks as always for your reviews!_**

**Quiet **One**- I've updated!!!  (finally!  I'm so proud/happy!)  Hehehe... actually, I think it's Melana who's taking after Farin now... *g*  Hmm, I think I already replied to the other things in your review (since it's been /such/ a long time since I updated... I'm bad, I know. *sigh*).  Thank you for being such an awesome friend/reviewer (and someone who can help me with chapters without even actually saying anything *g*), I hope that this chapter was up to your satisfaction!  **

**Lady **of** **Legolas**- *laughs* you're welcome!**

**Pink*Pineapple- *grins wickedly* does this chapter answer your question?**

**Sarai ****Ice-Elf- Aw thanks, you're too kind!  I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Salysha- Hey!  Man, I'm so glad that you liked this!  Oh thank you!!!!!  I am /soooooo/ thrilled that you think Eldarion is acting all kingly and stuff like his father... that's one of the things I've been trying for!  Hehe, and yes, he is protective, esp. when it comes to his friends and family! (and /especially/ when it comes to Melana... *wink wink*)  Anyways, thanks again, your comments mean so much!**

Okay, I think that's everyone.  Thanks again guys, you all rock!!!

Always,

~Hollie


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